Lesson – VII CLASSIFICATION OF MEDIA In this chapter we discuss about the classification of media. There are different types of mass media that we are accustomed to in this day and age. Whether it's children, young people, or adults, we've all had our share of media-related exposure every day.

OBJECTIVE • Define media, classification of media • Differentiate between print media and electronic media STRUCTURE  Different ways to classify media  Print Media – Size, Form, History  Electronic Media – Types, Difference between Print and Electronic Media

THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO CLASSIFY MEDIA. 1. Print media, non-print media, and electronic media

 Print Media: books, journals, magazines, , workbook, textbooks

162  Non-print Media: projected and non-projected media  Electronic Media: Audio media, Visual media and Audio-Visual

2. Projected media & non-projected media

 Projected media: They require light source for projection. E.g. film projector slides etc.  Non-projected media: They do not require light source. They include 3dimensional objects, 2dimensional objects, prints, charts, models etc.

3. Audio media, Visual media & Audio-visual

 Audio media: This form of media carry sounds alone. E.g. audio tapes, record player,  Visual media: These are the ones that can be seen. E.g. TV, computer, white board  Audio-Visual: This term refers to those instructional materials which provide students with audio and visual experiences by appearing to the hearing and seeing senses at the same time. E.g. TV, video tapes, closed circuit television (CCTV).

163 4. Hardware and software

 Hardware: This the classification of machines or equipment used in the instructional process. It is upon these gadgets that the software is transmitted. E.g. Television set, tape recorder etc.  Software: This classification consists of all materials used with the machine. They are the real carrier of knowledge or information. They include, films, tapes transparencies.

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Print media encompasses mass communication through printed material. It includes newspapers, magazines,

164 booklets and brochures, house magazines, periodicals or newsletters, direct mailers, handbills or flyers, billboards, press releases, and books. NEWSPAPERS: Newspapers enjoyed the position of the most preferred medium to reach a wider audience until electronic communication emerged on the media scene. In the early days, newspapers were the only medium that masses at large depended on, for daily news. A carries all kinds of communication related to a variety of topics like politics, current affairs, entertainment, finance, stocks, etc. Apart from this, it also includes topics which are in lighter vein like cartoons, crosswords, Sudoku, movie reviews, book reviews, puzzles, crosswords, etc. This captivates the imagination and interests of readers from all age groups. Newspapers are an important platform of mass communication as they reach every nook and corner of the world where electronic media fails to reach. It plays a pivotal role in providing authentic firsthand information, building opinions, updating the knowledge of the reader, and serves as a good platform for advertisers to promote their products. However, with

165 the emergence of the Internet, which updates information every second and is just a click away, the popularity of newspapers has reduced. SIZE OF NEWSPAPERS You may have noticed the fact that all newspapers are not of the same size; some are big, some small and some are very small. Newspapers are classified into three categories according to their size. They are , tabloids and Berliners or Midis.

Morning newspapers are generally broadsheets. They are big in size. In , all major newspapers are broadsheets. Examples include “ “and “ Times”. Tabloids are only half the size of broadsheets. In India most of the evening papers are tabloids. Examples are “Mid-day” and “ Metro Now”. Presently some of the new morning papers have also adopted the tabloid format.

ORIGIN OF NEWSPAPERS:

The History of newspapers is arguably one of the most dramatic episodes of human experience. The actual origin of newspapers lies in the Renaissance Europe when local

166 merchants used to distribute handwritten newsletters amongst each other. However it was not until the late 1400’s when Germany introduced the precursors

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167 of printed newspapers. Since then newspapers have evolved dramatically and today there are more than 6580 daily newspapers in the World. A typical modern day

newspaper is filled with various materials like editor’s columns, newspaper display ads, forecasts, comic strips, entertainment section and much more. Unfortunately the sudden economic downturn has also seen the rise of

Courtesy: Newspaper-classified-advertisement electronic or web-based versions of newspaper journals which automatically resulted in a decline in newspaper advertising and circulation.

HISTORY OF PRINT MEDIA

168 Indian print media is at a massive business in the media world and its newspapers are said to offer majority of national and international news. The history of newspaper in India began in 1780, with the publication of the Bengal Gazette from . The advent of the first newspaper in India occurred in the capital city of West Bengal, Calcutta (now Kolkata). James Augustus Hickey is considered the "father of Indian press" as he started the first Indian newspaper from Kolkata, the 'Bengal Gazette' or 'Calcutta Advertise' in January, 1780. This first printed newspaper was a weekly publication. In 1789, the first newspaper from Bombay (now ), the 'Bombay Herald' appeared, followed by the 'Bombay Courier' in the following year. Later, this newspaper merged with the Times of India in 1861. These newspapers carried news of the areas under the British rule. The first newspaper published in an

169 Indian language was the Samachar Darpan in Bengali. The first issue of this daily was published from the Serampore Mission Press on May 23, 1818. Samachar Darpan, the first vernacular paper was started during the period of Lord Hastings. In the same year, Ganga Kishore Bhattacharya started publishing another newspaper in Bengali, the 'Bengal Gazetti'. On July 1, 1822 the first Gujarati newspaper, the Bombay Samachar, was published from Bombay, which is still in existence. The first newspaper, the Samachar Sudha Varshan started its circulation in 1854. Since then, the prominent Indian languages in which newspapers had been published over the years are Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, , Telugu, and Bengali languages. The Indian language newspapers eventually took over the English newspapers according to the NRS survey of newspapers. The main reason was the marketing strategy that was followed by the regional papers, commencing with - a Telugu daily started by Ramoji Rao. The second reason was the growing literacy rate. Increase in the literacy rate had direct positive effect on the rise of circulation of the regional papers. The

170 people were first educated in their mother tongue according to their state in which they live for and eventually, the first thing a literate person would try to do is read the vernacular papers and gain knowledge about his own locality. Moreover, localization of news has also contributed to the growth of regional newspapers in India. Indian regional papers have several editions for a particular state to offer a complete scenario of local news for the reader to connect with the paper. features about 10 editions in Kerala itself and six others outside Kerala. Thus regional papers in India aim at providing localized news for their readers.

Eventually, the advertisers also realized the huge potential of the regional paper market, partly due to their own research and more owing to the efforts of the regional papers to make the advertisers aware of the huge market. These advertisers paid revenues to the newspaper house and in return publicized their products throughout the locality. Thus, newspapers in India not only acted as

171 news providers but also promoters of certain market products. Some of the prominent newspapers in India in the recent times are The Times of India, , , , and Indian Express and so on. The Economic Times is one of the India's leading business newspapers; carrying news about the Economy, Companies, Infrastructure, Trends in the Economy, Finance, Stocks, Forex and Commodities, news from around the world and from the world of politics besides editorial and various other features.

The Malayala Manorama releases daily, weekly, monthly and annual publications from Kerala. Started in 1988 in Tamil and Telegu languages, it is now published in other regional languages like Hindi, Bengali, as well as in English. Among the various publications, the Malayala Manorama Daily has the largest circulation, selling about 11 lakhs 50 thousand copies daily. The Times of India was founded in 1838 as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce by Bennett, Coleman and Company, a colonial enterprise now owned by an Indian conglomerate. The Times Group publishes The Economic Times (launched

172 in 1961), (Hindi language), and the ().

The newspapers collected their news from the news agencies. India has four news agencies namely, the Press Trust of India (PTI), United News of India (UNI), Samachar Bharti and Hindustan Smachar. Newspapers and magazines in India are independent and usually privately owned. About 5,000 newspapers, 150 of them major publications, are published daily in nearly 100 languages. Over 40,000 periodicals are also published in India.

The periodicals specialize in various subjects but the majority of them deal with subjects of general interest. During the 1950s, 214 daily newspapers were published in the country. Out of these, 44 were English language dailies while the rest were published in various regional languages. This number rose to 2,856 dailies in 1990 with 209 English dailies. The total number of newspapers published in the country reached 35,595 newspapers by 1993 (3,805 dailies). Newspaper sale in the country has

173 increased by 11.22% in 2007. By 2007, 62 of the world's best-selling newspaper dailies were published in countries like China, Japan, and India. India consumed 99 million newspaper copies as of 2007, making it the second largest market in the world for newspapers.

Newspapers in India have almost created a huge industry in the nation. It publishes the largest number of 'paid-for titles' in the world. In 1997, the total number of newspapers and periodicals published in India was around 41705, which include 4720 dailies and 14743 weeklies. However, in the last one decade the news media in India has changed rapidly. All the major news media outlets have an accompanying news website. A new class of newspapers in India is entirely internet based.

OTHER FORMS OF PRINT MEDIA

MAGAZINES:

Filmfare, Champak, Grihasobha, Chandamama, India Today, The Week, Outlook . Are these names familiar to you ? They are also part of the print media. But they are not newspapers. They are called magazines.

174 Magazines are another type of popular culture print media. They usually cater to a specific type of audience who are looking for information based on a particular subject. They are published at regular intervals. A weekly is published once a week and a monthly once a month. A fortnightly is published once in two weeks. A bi-weekly is published twice every week. A tri-monthly is one which is published every three months. These are also known as quarterlies. Then there are certain publications that come out only once a year which are called annuals. “India Today” is a weekly, while “Champak” is a fortnightly. “Grihasobha” and “Vanitha” are monthlies.

Magazines cover a plethora of topics like current affairs, business, finance, consumers, gadgets, self-help, luxury, lifestyle, beauty, fashion, entertainment, travel, etc. Magazines like TIME and Reader's Digest include information which is all-pervasive. These magazines are the best forum for advertisers as they have a niche readership.

175 Magazines can be classified as:

1. General interest magazines (e.g. Frontline, India Today, The Week, The Sunday Times etc.) 2. Special interest magazines (women's, sports, business, scuba diving, etc.)

INVENTION OF MAGAZINES

According to British philosopher Francis Bacon, the printing press was one of three inventions that “changed the whole face and state of things throughout the world.” Prior to the invention of the printing press, books had to be painstakingly copied by hand. When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440, he created a way for knowledge to be mass-produced for the first time in human history. Within a century of its advent, the printing press was being used to print pamphlets, almanacs and newsletters in addition to Bibles and religious materials.

In 1663, German theologian and poet Johann Rist created a periodical called Erbauliche Monaths-Unter

176 redungen (“Edifying Monthly Discussions”). Widely considered to be one of the earliest examples of a modern magazine, the gazette lasted for five years and spanned a myriad of similar journals in England, France and Italy. Cultured young intellectuals readily devoured the periodicals, which summarized new books and welcomed scholarly articles.

In 1672, the first “periodical of amusement” was published. Le Mercure Galant (later called Mercure de France), was created by French writer and playwright Jean Donneau de Vizé. The publication contained news, songs, short verses and gossip. Despite being disparaged by other writers of the day for its amusing rather than intellectual content, the periodical became very popular in France.

The 1700s ushered in a time of increased literacy and intellectual powers, especially among women. Society’s hunger for knowledge enabled magazines to become a popular cultural staple. English printers produced three essay periodicals that set the stage for

177 modern magazines: Daniel Defoe’s The Review (published 1704-13); Sir Richard Steele’s The Tatler (published 1709-11); and Addison and Steele’s The Spectator (published 1711-12). Since the periodicals were published several times a week, they resembled our modern newspapers. However, their content was more similar to that of modern magazines.

The Review published opinionated essays about national and international events. The Tatler and The Spectator sought to “enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality.” These two publications influenced the manners and thoughts of the day. These periodicals represented a middle ground between the in- depth research found in books and the quick recaps found in newspapers. They set the stage for our concept of the modern magazine.

In 1731, an Englishman named Edward Cave published a periodical called The Gentleman’s Magazine. He invented the word “magazine” from the Arabic word makhazin, which meant storehouse. Cave’s goal was to

178 create a magazine that the general public would be interested in. His publication contained everything from essays and poems to stories and political musings. Cave achieved two noteworthy accomplishments: he coined the term “magazine,” and he was the first publisher to successfully fashion a wide-ranging publication.

In 1842, British newsagent Herbert Ingram created the first illustrated magazine. After realizing that colorful sketches and illustrations contributed to magazine sales, Ingram began publishing The Illustrated London News. The weekly news and arts periodical was filled with dozens of woodcut designs. The Illustrated London News also earned the distinction of being the first magazine to incorporate photos.

JOURNALS

A journal (through French from Latin diurnalis, daily) has several related meanings:

 A daily record of events or business; a private journal is usually referred to as a diary

179  A newspaper or other periodical, in the literal sense of one published each day  Many publications issued at stated intervals, such as academic journals (including scientific journals), or the record of the transactions of a society, are often called journals.[1] In academic use, a journal refers to a serious, scholarly publication that is peer-reviewed. A non-scholarly magazine written for an educated audience about an industry or an area of professional activity is usually called a trade magazine.

Public Journal

A public journal is a record of day-by-day events in a parliament or congress. It is also called minutes or records.

Business and Accounting

The term "journal" is also used in business:

180  A journal is a book or computer file in which monetary transactions are entered the first time they are processed. This journal lists transactions in chronological sequence by date prior to a transfer of the same transactions to a ledger in the process of bookkeeping  Narrations or equivalent to a ship's log, as a record of the daily run, such as observations, weather changes, or other events of daily importance

Booklets and Brochures: Booklets and brochures are part of the promotional literature of a product, or an organization. There are two types of booklets and brochures.

Pre-buying promotion: Usually in malls and stores, promotional literature is distributed free to all (with discount offers, or other schemes which seem profitable). For example, a free booklet about cosmetics will include information about the products, latest trends, contents, the benefits of using them, the available range, or colors, discount coupons, etc. This, will most likely, have a positive impact on your decision-making.

181 Post-buying promotion: These booklets and brochures are usually given with a product for better customer experience and easy usage post purchasing. You must have observed when you buy any new item that it is usually accompanied with a small booklet giving details about the benefits of using the product, usage directions, cleaning and storage instructions. The guidelines are usually followed by a series of 'how to' images which facilitate easy information about the product. These booklets may also include ‘Other offerings’ section.

Organizations also have their own profiles in the form of brochures which they give to their stakeholders to create a favorable image. It highlights the information about the company, its capacity and capability, services and solutions offered milestone achievements, sustainability, innovation, awards, etc. In this case people "do judge the book by its cover", and hence, these booklets and brochures are designed in an attractive format using colors and photos.

Billboards: Billboards are huge advertisements that are put up at a height in strategic locations to draw more

182 attention. They usually attract the target audience by their bold colors, attention-grabbing headlines, creativity, designs, special effects, etc. Initially, billboards started by hand painting huge boards, and eventually graduated to putting up printed sheets.

Later came a trend for incorporating neon signs, videos, and cut-outs which extend out from the boards, 3D rubber, or plastic balloon objects, etc. Such billboards are called bulletins. They command the best customer exposure. Communication in these types of billboards should be in minimum words. The images should speak louder than the words. They are a successful medium of communication as they are good at captivating and retaining customer’s attention.

Electronic media is the kind of media which requires the user to utilize an electric connection to access it. It is also known as 'Broadcast Media'. It includes television, radio, and new-age media like the Internet, computers, telephones, etc. Broadcast or storage media that take advantage of electronic technology. They may include television, radio,

183 Internet, fax, CD-ROMs, DVD, and any other medium that requires electricity or digital encoding of information. The term 'electronic media' is often used in contrast with printmedia. The purpose of using electronic media can be for many reasons, one of the reasons is that you can use it to market yourself and anything else from businesses to products and so on. Electronic media is an efficient way to communicate to one another, either by the use of media devices and networks or social media sources such as Television or the Internet these are a few of the many ways you can use Electronic media to your advantage.

Television: Television appeals to both the auditory and visual senses, and hence is an important communication device as it beholds the attention of the audience. For many people, it is impossible to imagine a life without their television sets, be it the daily news, or even the soap operas. Television has become an advertising hub where advertisers are ready to spend huge amounts of money for an ad of a few seconds, especially for programmes with high viewership. An apt example would be Super Bowl

184 Season. It offers various programs to appeal to the masses of different age groups. It is a popular means of communication which provides both information and entertainment. This category also includes electronic media like movies, CDs and DVDs as well as the electronic gadgets.

Radio: Radio has a significant reach. Advertising on the radio with catchy jingles and phrases is a tried and tested means of communication. Radio lost its popularity with the boom of television. But till day, radio remains one of the favorite means of electronic communication. Moreover, it is an interactive means of communication with all the dial-in programs which give the listeners an opportunity to feature on radio.

New age Media: With the advent of the Internet, we are now enjoying the benefits of high technology mass media, which is not only faster than the old school mass media, but also has a widespread range. Mobile phones, computers, and the Internet are often referred to as the new-age media. The Internet has opened up several new opportunities for mass communication which include

185 email, websites, podcasts, e-forums, e-books, blogging, Internet TV and many others, which are booming today. The Internet has also started social networking 4 sites which have redefined mass communication all together. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have made communication to the masses all the more entertaining, interesting, and easier.

Mobile Phones: Mobile phones have become a boon to mankind. It has made communication possible at any time, and from anywhere. Nowadays, a smart device like a mobile phone is not only used for interaction, but also for other technical utilities like operating pumps from remote locations, etc. You can also get alerts of your monetary transactions on a mobile phone. About a decade ago, who would have thought of having the Internet on mobiles? Today, we can stay in touch with the whole world via the Internet on our mobile phones.

Computers: With the invention of computers the impossible has become possible. We virtually get information about everything from pin to piano with the help of computers. It has added speed and multimedia to

186 the information which was earlier available only in the print format. Also, anyone can voice their opinions through computers. Computers have added a new breakthrough in the mass media by combining human intelligence with the cutting edge technology.

The Internet: This is the most important device of the new age media. The discovery of the Internet can be called the biggest invention in mass media. In earlier days, news used to reach people only with the morning newspaper. But today, live updates reach us simultaneously as the events unfold. For example, the royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William was watched live on the Internet by millions of people around the world. The Internet has inspired interaction and connectivity through its social networking medium. It has become one of the core means of mass communication. We cannot think of leading our lives without it. Let us see how the Internet impacts mass communication through the following mediums.

▫E-mails: e-mails or electronic mails have drastically reduced the time it took for drafting and sending letters,

187 or mails. Electronic mails have also facilitated lesser usage of paper.

▫Websites: the Internet has a plethora of websites dedicated to various people, companies, brands, causes, activities, etc. The most significant usefulness of these websites is in providing information, search engines, downloads through libraries, and interaction through the social networking sites. Due to these websites carrying out e-commerce transactions has also become easy.

▫Podcasts: Podcasts are mediums of mass communication that include short video or audio files. They can be seen and heard on mobiles, computers, and portable media instruments. They are engaging devices of communication. ▫ E-Forums: E-Forums are bulletin boards on websites where people start threads on topics. These are usually hosted on a website. These forums are open platforms to discuss a range of topics. People give their opinions and share their experiences on various topics.

188 ▫ E-Books: There are a number of websites which have hosted eBooks and online libraries. The main benefit of having eBooks is that you don't have to carry bulky books. You can read them on your eBook readers, mobiles, computer screens, or other devices. You can even adjust the font size to suit your requirements.

▫ Internet TV: It is also known as online TV. It usually has an archive of programmes. You have to choose the programme, you wish to view from the list. You can either view the programs directly from the host server, or download the content on your computer. It is an effective means of communication.

▫ Blogging: A blog is a space on the Internet where a single person or a group of people record their information, opinions, photos, videos, etc. It is an interesting and free platform to talk about any topic. Interaction happens in the form of comments or feedback.

▫ Facebook: It is the most popular social networking website. Facebook has several applications which people utilize. It is the best platform to meet old friends, or make

189 new ones. Advertisers also like this forum for communicating about their products. ▫ Twitter: It is also a famous social networking website. Twitter is a micro blogging site which allows interaction and feedback of different people. There was a time when it was very popular among celebrities and individuals. Today, the governments of various nations have understood the importance of "tweeting" information to the public, and regularly share information through Twitter.

▫ YouTube: It is a website which uploads content in a video format. It houses a range of interesting videos that appeal to people of all generations. From films to educational videos, you will find everything on YouTube.

ELECTRONIC MEDIA VS. PRINT MEDIA

Print media typically includes newspapers, articles, journals etc. on the other hand, electronic media could be internet, television etc.

190 Print Media o Choice of reading – Allows user to read anytime and can be carried anywhere. o A much affordable form of media when compared to electronic. o For an individual, it’s quite an easy proof for any sort of information – People specially living in rural areas can easily afford a newspaper as compared to TV’s etc. o Relatively easier form of accessibility public for campaigns etc.

Electronic media o A more advanced form of media. o Introduces more revenues and job opportunities. o Relatively a more innovative form of media. Thanks to motion pictures, animation etc. o A variety of options available unlike print media. People can surf through different channels, site etc. o Very appropriate for instant POLLS reviews of public. o Works better for people with hearing and seeing disabilities. o Can be reached faster and can be made LIVE.

191 The main intent of any media is to pass information to pubic. Be it electronic or print media, the public needs to be aware of the news. Most of the people in daily lives start with print media and gradually, as the day passes by, switch to electronic media.

SUMMARY

There are different ways to classify media. Print media, non-print media, and electronic media. The print media is composed of newspapers, community newsletters, wire services, magazines, and other publications. Within these publications, there are two main divisions of labor: reporting and editing. Reporters are the newspaper writers who investigate newsworthy events and interesting stories. Editors assign stories to reporters, edit story content, and decide which stories to print. It is the media that one can share on any electronic device for the audiences viewing, unlike static media (Printing) electronic media is broadcasted to the wider community. Examples of Electronic media are things such as the television the radio, or the wide internet.

192 QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Discuss the advantage and disadvantages of print media. 2. What is Mass Media? What is it used for? 3. Name several types of Mass Media. What kind is the most popular now? 4. What are the main features of New Age Mass Media? 5. What do you think about all the advantages and disadvantages of every kind of Mass Media? Name as many as possible.

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